Slave
by The Poisoned Doughnut Of DOOM
Summary: AU When the Fire Nation raided the South Pole, Katara was taken as a slave to the Fire Court. Zutara.
1. My Life

I had been taken when I was twelve years old. I was born in the Southern Water Tribe. I had a brother named Sokka, and father named Hakado, a mother, and my Gran Gran: Kana. They loved me and I loved them back.

Our village was raided by the Fire Nation. They killed my mother, father, and Gran Gran. Sokka had gone on a fishing trip. I still don't know where he is. It must have been horrible for him. I like to think of him sometimes…

I always imagine that he comes back with one little fishie on his spear, still proud of his small catch. He would yell out "Who's going to cook my dinner!" just like he always did. Then he wouldn't get a reply. He would go into the village. Maybe the other tribe members were still alive. I was taken at the beginnig of the raid.

He would wander, alone. If the others were there, maybe he had gotten married. But if the others were gone too, I would like to think he went to the Northern Water Tribe. Or the Earth Kingdom. Either way, he should have married a nice girl.

Maybe I even have neices and nephews. But I don't know.

They took me to be a slave in the Fire Lord's court. I was small and gangly. I still hadn't lost my baby fat. My hair was frizzy and maybe that's what kept me from being raped. Maybe they don't do that in the Fire Nation. But it didn't happen to me. No one ever touched me.

I was to be a handmaiden to the crown prince, a boy named Zuko. He was fourteen when they brought me to him.

They had sent me off with a few women in Fire Nation robes. They had taken me to a large bath where all the servant girls were bathing. They had stipped off my Water Tribe clothes. They poured buckets of steaming water on me and scrubbed me pink.

They washed my hair and cut it short. I wanted to cry. In the Water Tribe, a woman's hair is a gift. Longer hair symbolizes that you are a woman. I wasn't quite a woman. Far from, it, actually.

After cutting off half my hair, they pulled it up into a Fire Nation bun. They dressed me up like a Fire Nation girl. I wore boots that went up to my knees and that were pointed at the end. Light red, almost pink, baggy pants were tucked into the boots. A dark red sarong was wrapped around my chest and tucked into a belt. The rest of the cloth reached my knees.

"What's your name?" they had asked me.

"I'm Katara," I had whispered, still frightened of all these people.

"You are Katara no more. Now, you are Erza."

Katara of the Water Tribe was no more.

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After bathing, dressing, and renaming me, I was taken to him. I was led there by a smily girl in pink accompanied with a scowling girl in dark red and black. The angry girl was called Mai and the pink girl was Ty Lee.

"You'll be a handmaiden to Crown Prince Zuko," she said to me cheerfully.

"I can't believe we ended up doing this," Mai said in a slow unhappy voice. "We're best friends with Princess Azula, yet we end up with this ... dreary job." She sighed. "Who knew? Life … is boring."

I was extremely nervous. They knocked on a door and a boy came out. He was pretty tall, handsome. He had black hair that was long. It was pulled into a ponytail.

"What do you want?" he asked grouchily.

"We're just delivering your new handmaiden, Erza, a present from your Uncle Iroh."

I had heard of Iroh, the Dragon of the West. Who hadn't?

He blinked at looked at me.

"I'll send for you if I need anything." Then he slammed the door in my face.

"What … is his problem?" I asked, the first words to come out of my mouth.

"He has lots of them. It would take a while to explain them all," Ty Lee said cheerfully.

"He does NOT have problems!" Mai said.

"You're just saying that because you looove him!" Ty Lee squealed.

"You are just… ugh!" Mai snapped.

I hadn't realized that we were still walking. They stopped in front of a door.

"This is your room. That bell, see it?" A gold tassle hung from the wall, dissapearing into the ceiling. "Crown Prince Zuko will ring it when he wants you. You better answer him quick."

"What if I get lost?" I panicked.

"You're one of the lucky ones. Go down the hall, pass through the gate, take a left turn, and it's the last room on the hall."

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After Mai and Ty Lee left, I explored the room. I had a small cot to sleep on. The covers were red with gold trim. The Fire Nation colors. The walls were the same color. The floor was made of wood and had no carpet.

There was a small trunk for my possessions. If I had any, which I didn't.

I sat on the bed and the dam burst. I started bawling like a little baby.

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I was lying on my bed. I had stopped crying hours ago. I was just laying down, thinking about what would happen to me. The bell rang. I sat up.

Zuko was calling me. What had that girl said? Down the hall, through the gate, left turn, last room on the hall. I hoped that was right. I rushed off.

I didn't know whether to knock, or just go in. I went with knocking.

He opened the door. "Come in."

I went nervously in. He had an enormous room with a huge bed bigger than the tent I had lived in back home. He sat at a table and motioned for me to sit down. I did.

"I have no one to talk to. I'm bored. Talk to me."

I blinked. I had expected tea, a bath, something for me to do.

"Can you speak?"

"Yes."

"Then answer my questions. Who are you?"

"My name is … Erza."

"What was your name before you came here?"

"Katara."

"You were from the Water Tribe."

"Yes."

"What was it like there?"

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He asked me questions on everything. What we ate in the Water Tribe, how we dressed, where we lived, he wanted to know everything.

"I have a question for you now, Crown Prince."

"Just call me Zuko."

"Very well, Zuko. The question is: Why do you want to know this?"

"Well, I'm going to rule this nation someday. Shouldn't I start learning as much as I can now?"

"But why would you learn about the Water Tribe?"

"I can see you're not a fool. There is a war going on. We might win," he lowered his voice, "and though I don't like to think about it, we may even lose. I want to understand all the nations. Well, I can't understand the Air Nomads. I wish they weren't all dead."

"Why did you have to kill them all? Couldn't you have just found the Avatar and mph!" He had clamped a hand over my mouth.

"The walls have ears here. You cannot mention… him." He let me go. "You should leave now."

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Two years passed this way. We became friends. We had much to talk about. I was curious about the history and schooling and knowledge I couldn't have in the South Pole.

He wanted to know about the Water Tribe. He was saddened by my story. He felt bad that my family was murdered and I was kidnapped and made a slave just for him.

"I do miss my family. But this… isn't so bad."

And it wasn't. I may have been young and naïve, but I knew what was happening to me. I liked Zuko. More than I should have. I didn't know if he liked me too, I didn't think so. We were just friends. But I felt a twinge of happiness every time the bell in my room rang. And I had always thought he was handsome.

I would never say it was love I felt. I was only fourteen. I knew nothing of love. I just liked him.

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It all changed that day he went into the War Chamber. He was sixteen, still young and foolish. He had insulted a general and spoken out against his plans. He was in terrible trouble. Zuko had to do an Agni Kai.

I didn't want to be there. But as his servant, I had to be there. I'll never forget that day.

I felt like crying as Fire Lord Ozai spoke against his only son begging for mercy.

"You _will_ learn respect. And suffering will be your teacher."

I closed my eyes. I could still hear him scream. It echoed around the room, piercing into what felt like my very soul.

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Zuko was carried to his room. He had passed out in the throes of the pain of being burned.

I went to him. The doctor bandaged him, but there was nothing else he could do. Zuko had been banished. He would be expelled from the palace the next day.

I slipped into his room.

He was lying on his bed. A tear occasionally would roll from his eyes. Then he would wince. The salty tears must have been painful on the burn.

I sat down on his bed. It would look completely scandolous had someone found us. Be we were uninterupted.

I pulled his head into my lap.

"Katara," he groaned.

"Shhh, you'll be okay," I whispered to him. He closed his eyes and I concentrated on stroking his hair. Having him so close to me was intoxicating. Every touch sent shivers down my spine. I felt like my skin was crackling with lightning.

One of my fingers strayed lower and brushed against the burn. He gasped.

I winced and let go of him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't stop."

I gulped. I started combing my fingers through his hair. He relaxed and he even smiled a little. I was so close to him I could hardly breathe. My hands strayed lower, rubbing the right side of his face. I could feel him start to sweat with nervousness.

I pressed lower, rubbing his neck and shoulders. He lifted one hand to mine. I clasped his hand in mine and lifted it up to my lips. I pressed his hand against my lips and then brought his hand to his mouth.

"Katara…"

"Shh, don't try to speak."

"Katara…I love you."

"You..you love me?"

"I love you."

"I…don't know what to say."

"Say that you love me."

"I do love you."

I put my arms around his waist and we sat quietly for a few minutes. Zuko struggled to get up.

"Go to my closet."

I did.

"Open it."

I opened it and saw several clothes and two sets or armour.

"Take my spare armour. I want you to…I want you to stow away on my ship tommorrow. And as soon…as soon as we're clear of the Fire Nation, I want…I want you to leave. I want you to go home to your family. I know…I know you miss them. I love you, and I want you with me… but now that I'm banished…I want you to be happy, Katara."

I could feel tears sting at my eyes and they threatened to roll down my face.

"Please, Katara. Do it."

I nodded.

"I will.

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The next day, I shipped out with Zukp in disguise. As soon as we were out to sea and night had fallen, I went to Zuko's room, like he had asked. He gave me a bundle of clothes.

"It's Water Tribe clothing," he told me.

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When we first made port in an Earth Kingdom town, I slipped out. Hiding behinda building, I shed the armoura dn quickly put on the Water Tribe clothes. I tied my hair into a Water Tribe braid. I threw the armour into a lake.

I slipped back to the docks. I went to every ship, asking if I could have passage to the South Pole. Everyone laughed at me and sent me away.

I went to the beach, wandering aimlessly down the beach when I saw it. A Water Tribe boat, lying on the beach.

I ran to it, hardly able to contain my excitement. But the boat was desserted. I burst into tears and collasped into the sand. I curled up next to the abandoned boat and fell asleep.

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"KATARA!" I heard a scream. I woke up instantly.

A group of people was approaching me while one young man was running to me. It looked like every man from out tribe! And they were wearing Water Tribe clothes. They were accompanied with a twelve-year-old bald boy with an arrow tattooed on his head. He wore yellow and red.

But was caught my attenting was the man who had started to cry and was hugging me.

"Katara, is it really you?"

It was…

Sokka!

"SOKKA!" I screamed before my arms around my brother and hugging him back.


	2. I Always Dream He Returns

After we finished hugging, Sokka smiled at me.

"Katara, we'd given up hope of finding you!"

I smiled. He stopped smiling and asked a question very low in my ear.

"They didn't…they didn't…hurt…you, did they?" He looked concerned.

"I'm fine."

Sokka pulled two people out from the crowd. A young woman and the tattooed boy I'd seen earlier.

"Katara, this is Aang. He's the Avatar. We're taking him to the North Pole to learn Waterbending."

"The Avatar!" I gasped. I bowed as low as I could to him.

"You don't have to do that," Aang said, blushing and looking embarrassed. He wore loose monk clotheing in red and yellow. He had a shaved head, as I had noticed earlier. He had a blue arrow tattooed on his head and on his hands.

"At the Fire Court we were forbidden from even mentioning the Avatar," I told him getting up.

"You…you were at the _Fire Court_?" Aang asked nervously.

"Aang, this is my sister, Katara," Sokka told Aang. He leaned over and whispered something in Aang's ear. Aang gasped and said "I'm sorry this happened to you."

I shrugged. "I got out."

Sokka put his arm around the woman.

"Katara, this is my fiancée, QuaMae."

QuaMae had brown hair. Her eyes were brown with thin rings of green on the outer edge. I couldn't see her skin because it was covered in red and white makeup. Her face and neck were painted white while red was painted from her eyelids to her eyebrows. She had dark red almost purple lipstick.

She wore a green dress with armour and gold insignias on it. She also had her hair up in two buns with two chopsticks thrust through them to keep their shape. I then noticed that she wore a headband that was green with a gold square on it.

"QuaMae is one of the warriors we met on Kyoshi Island," Sokka told me.

"It's very nice to meet you," I said. I was pretty shocked. Sokka was getting married. A thought struck me and I started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sokka asked.

"You're 18 and you're still not married?"

Sokka blushed.

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(A/N Just so you know, part of the AU is that I messed with everyone's age.)

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There weren't enough tents to spare me one, so I would be sharing a tent with my future sister.

"So, QuaMae," I said as she rolled out her blanket and lay down.

"Yes?" she asked. I couldn't help myself.

"Can I ask you about something?"

"Sure."

"You know my mother is dead?"

"Yes."

"Well, she died when I was twelve, so she never got a chance to tell me about The Nature Of Things."

QuaMae was confused.

"I have some questions about Girl Things."

"Oh!" QuaMae instantly blushed. She had taken off her makeup to sleep and her skin was as dark as Sokka's and mine. "Well, Katara…when a man and a woman love each other VERY much and they decide to get married—"

"Like you and Sokka?" I asked determined to make this as difficult for her as I could.

"Yes," QuaMae said. The blush that had started to fade flared up again. "And after they get married, on the wedding night, they, um, this is going to awkward."

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I really did know everything she told me. I just wanted to see her squirm. It's not that I'm a cruel person, I just wanted to know what kind of girl Sokka was marrying.

And QuaMae seemed nice. She didn't try to baby or sugar-coat me. I liked her.

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Later we climbed on board our boats and were off. I stayed at the rail watching the docks disappear, knowing that I was straying furthur and further from Zuko. I didn't think I would ever seen him again.

I was thinking about our last night together, the night he was burned. The way just touching him sent delicious shivers down my spine. I sighed.

"So what was his name?"

I whipped around to see QuaMae grinning at me.

"I-I-I…don't know what you're talking about!" I said nervously.

"It's okay, Katara. I was once fourteen, I've had crushes before. I know what you're going through."

Now it was my turn to blush.

"You can tell me, I won't tell anyone."

I looked over at the ocean and saw Aang. He was riding his flying bison, Appa.

"Uhh, it's Aang!" I said quickly making something up. "You know, the master of all four elements thing." I grinned weakly at her.

QuaMae sniffed and her eyes filled with tears of joy.

"That's so…SWEET!" she squeaked. "Maybe he even likes you too! I won't tell anyone!" She giggled.

I sure hoped she didn't tell anyone. What if he DID like me back? That would be awkward.

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A few weeks later, we were out sailing when a Fire Nation ship pulled up next to us.

"Damn!" Sokka hissed. "Katara, Aang, QuaMae, hide!" We were hustled into the captains quarters which were rather small. QuaMae (and I'm sure she did this on purpose) pushed me up against Aang.

We pressed our ears against the door, listening to what was going on.

"We're looking for the Avatar!"

I gasped. "I know that voice," I whispered to myself.

I darted for the porthole and peeked out the window.

"Zuko!" I cried out.

I sprinted for the door and tried to open it. QuaMae and Aang gripped my waist and pulled me back.

"Katara, no!"

"Let me go, let me go!"

I ripped free and threw the door open. I ran out on deck.

"ZUKO!"

He turned aroud.

"Katara!"

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	3. She's A Spy!

I ran to Zuko and threw my arms around him. I buried my face in his neck and breathed in his scent. He always smelled bittersweet, a bit like burning wood.

Firebender. That would make sense.

"Katara!" Sokka yelled jarring me from my thoughts. I didn't lift my head.

"Katara?" I heard QuaMae say from the cabin. I lifted my head a few centimeters. Aang was watching us with an open mouth.

Zuko was alone on our ship but Fire Nation soldiers were lined up on his ship floating a few meters away.

Zuko looked startled, but he put his arms around me and squeezed me gently.

"Katara, what are you doing here?" he asked sounding happy.

"Get your hands off my sister!" Sokka yelled and threw his boomerang at Zuko.

Zuko shoved me to his side and quickly sliced the boomerang in half with some Fire Bending. Ge stopped it from hitting him a few cemtinmeters away from his face nose.

Unfortunately, that must've been the cue for Zuko's soldiers. They boared our ship and in seconds we were swamped by soldiers.

Sokka ran yelling up to Zuko and used the handle of his sword to hit him on his head, rendering him unconscious.

"Zuko!" I screamed as he collasped to the ground. I cradled him as the battle raged around me.

In seconds, our men, QuaMae, Aang, and Sokka were being held back by the soldiers. Since Zuko was unconscious, Zuko's uncle, Iroh, was in charge. Everyone was being led onto the Fire Nation ship. As prisoners.

"I can't belive you, Katara!" QuaMae shrieked as she was dragged away. "You're a spy for the Fire Nation! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!"

I couldn't take it. Colored dots swam before my eyes. All of the sounds I was hearing grew fainter and a buzzing in my ears escalated as I sank into the darkness.

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I woke up slowly.

I was in a room.

No, a cell.

I sat up. Sokka, Aang, and QuaMae were in my cell.

"What happened?" I asked.

Silence.

"You sold us out!" QuaMae finally spat out

"What?" I gasped.

"Katara. How did you know that man?" Sokka asked, his voice shaking. He was dead serious. He was never serious.

"Sokka, I—"

"HOW DID YOU KNOW HIM?" Sokka screamed at me. Aang shrank back from all of us while QuaMae kept up her glare.

I dropped my head.

"I…was his slave…in the Fire Court."

"She was in the Fire Court," QuaMae said skeptically. She laughed harshly. "She was in the FIRE COURT! See? I was right, Sokka."

"Right? Right about what?" I asked in terror.

"You are a spy. He planted you here to _sell us all out!"_

It hit me like a sack of bricks.

They thought I had led the Fire Nation right to them. They thought I had betrayed them. But I hadn't! I wanted to scream.

I could barely breathe. I managed to get out one word.

"Sokka," I choked out, looking at him. His eyes were hard and his face was set.

And then the worst thing that could have happened right then happened.

"Let me pass! I am the prince! This is my ship!"

They looked away from me for a second.

Zuko came in through the door. Their eyes snapped back to me.

"Katara!" His eyes widened when he saw me. "What are you doing here? There must've been some mistake. Guards! Release her immidiately!"

The door to the cell was opened and I was let out. Zuko took my elbow and started to lead me out. I could feel the burning glare of the others.

"Wait…" I said before running back to Sokka.

"Sokka, I didn't do it!" I whispered urgently to him.

He glared at me.

"Screw you, Katara. But _he's_ already got it covered, doesn't he?"

I backed away from him in horror. Zuko mistook my misery for coming back to him. He took my elbow again and he led me away.

I knew they were glaring at me. My throat ached and my eyes felt like someone had poured sand in them. It took all of my strength to not burst into tears.

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(A/N Yeah, I hate Sokka right now, too.)

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Zuko took me to a room that was meant for passengers.

"This room is for you," Zuko told me. I sat down on the bed and he sat next to me, sensing something wasn't quite right.

"Zuko, what's going on?"

"Well, er, do you remember that Father said for me to come home, I had to capture the Avatar?"

I nodded.

"Well, you were traveling with the Avatar. I didn't know you were on that ship," he said looking pained. "I wouldn't have boarded it if I'd known."

He took a deep breath and continued.

"I wanted the Avatar in peace, so I boarded your ship alone. My soldiers were on the side, waiting to protect me if I was attacked. I didn't want anyone hurt. But when your brother threw that boomerang at me, they took the cue and attacked."

"What happened to everyone? I only saw Sokka, Aang, and QuaMae in there?" I had to ask.

"No lasting harm was done. Katara… I'm so sorry."

I closed my eyes in pain.

"She thinks I'm a spy," I whispered.

"Who thinks you're a spy?" he asked.

"QuaMae. The girl with us, the one in makeup. She thinks I'm a spy." The tears I had tried so hard to hold back started to squeeze out through my eyes.

"Katara," he said. He took my hand in his.

"She was going to be my sister," I said softly.

"Katara, it wasn't your fault. If I had known you were there, I wouldn't have gone near the ship."

His eyes pleaded with me. I snatched my hand out of his.

"I don't believe you."

He left me.

I crawled under the covers and buried my face into the pillow. The trickle of wetness coming from my eyes turned into an ocean of tears and soaked my pillow.

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	4. Ruby Red

_She heard the familiar bell ring. For a year now, she heard the bell often. The gold tassel hanging from the ceiling bounced up and down as it rang and supported the ringing bell._

_She roused herself from her bed when she had been staring blankly at the ceiling. She shook off the sleepiness that clung to her. She skipped down the halls when the bracing winter air effectively woke her up. She'd gotten used to seeing the red tapestries hung on the walls. She still missed walls made of ice with blue, white, and purple hangings._

_She was happy for the first time since coming here. She was happy because today was her birthday._

_She calmed herself before entering his room._

"_Hello," he said holding something behind his back. "What day is it today?"_

_  
"May 17**th**," she answered nervously. This couldn't be all that he wanted. Could it?_

"_What else is it today?" he asked patiently. Another odd thing. He was normally very short-tempered and had come nowhere near mastering the virtue of patience._

"_I…don't…know," she lied. She was bad at lying._

"_Really?" he said raising an eyebrow. He pulled the thing he had been hiding behind his back. A small package. "Because I thought it was your birthday, in which case I had a present for you. But if you're sure it's not your birthday, well then, I just don't know what I'll do with it!" _

_He feigned a sigh._

_She gasped._

"_You remembered my birthday!" _

_He looked confused._

"_Of course I did. Now, are you going to open your present, or not?" He smiled as he gave her the red-tissue-wrapped package._

_She carefully pulled it apart with her slender fingers. She treied to be carefull, but her fingernails poked small holes in the thin paper. As the last layer of red tissue paper was peeled away, she gasped._

"_They're beautiful!" _

_She pulled out a pair of earrings with dangling red stones. She lifted them up to the light watching the sparkles dance out in an arc and spin across the room._

"_Women and jewels," he muttered. "Aren't you going to put them on?" He led her to his mirror so she could wear them._

"_They were for Azula, a present from Uncle. They're from Myanmar, if I heard correctly. But she didn't want them, she threw them away."_

"_She actually threw rubies away? These are the most beautiful shade of pidgeon blood rubies I've ever seen! " she exclaimed in excitement. What woman would throw away rubies?_

"_Pidgeon blood? I don't understand all the fuss about rocks."_

"_And you never will," she told him playfully. "Pidgeon blood is a shade of red. It's very beautiful. And the best rubies come from Myanmar! She honestly threw these away, with their worth?"_

_He shrugged. "Azula never was one for jewels. So I guess she won't notice they're gone, then," he said._

_She smiled at her reflection. She didn't care that they weren't supposed to be for her. Pidgeon blood was really a pretty color on her darker skin…_

I stirred.

"Mmmmmmm," I mumbled not wanting to get up.

I was curled like a baby into a warm ball under the red covers. My hair had come undone and was flowing freely around my face and neck. I pulled the covers closer and blinked slowly. I thought about my dream.

Well, does it really count as a dream if it really did happen? I guess it's sort of a noturnal flashback. I still had those earrings, they were, in fact, tucked away in my parka pocket right now.

So why was I so miserable?

QuaMae's face floated before me and shrieked "You sold us all out!"

Now I remembered. I sat up and sniffed. I buried my face in my hands and kneaded my forehead. But the tears wouldn't come. My eyes ached and I begged for their release. But I couldn't work up the tears.

I needed to cry on someone's shoulder.

I threw off my covers and stood up.

My room was dark. I carefully felt around for a candle. I tripped over my parka that I guessed I had thrown on the floor while I slept. I landed sprawled on the rug.

I remembered that there was a candle on the table. Of course, I accidentally slammed by knee against the corner of the table before I got the candle.

I hopped around on one foot clutching my knee for a few seconds. I overbalanced and toppled over and landed **splat** on the ground. I winced and rubbed myself when I had fallen before feeling around on the floor for the candle I had dropped.

When I had the candle back in my hand, I started wondering how to light it. I figured I wouldn't find any matches, since it was a Fire Nation ship. Normal passengers would just Fire Bend their candles.

I got up to find the door. It was still dark. I stretched my hands in front of me before blindly feeling for the wall. My feet got tangled in the coat again and I stumbled and crashed into the wall.

"…Ow," I said. I kicked off the jacket. I kept one hand on the wall as I walked around the room feeling for the door.

I hate walking around in the dark.

My hand bumped against the metal door handle. I jumped in surprise. I twisted the door open and walked into the hallway…

…And promptly walked too far and crashed into the opposite wall of the hall.

It was still dark. There was a torch in a holder against the wall, still glowing dimly. I dipped my candle wick into the mess of glowing embers. The wick burst into flames.

I winced and shut my eyes against the sudden brightness. They watered both from the need to cry and the light. I hoped that I wouldn't have to continue, but the tears dried up and refused to fall.

I never thought tears could rebel against your own eyes.

The candle I held illuminated the hallway. I sighed. Red walls, again. I slipped through the hallways, wondering which room to go to. I started opening doors randomly.

Nothing in here, nothing in there, nothing in this room, nothing in---oops!

General Iroh was in this room, fast asleep on his bed. It was really very kind of him to go with Zuko even though he was banished. Maybe having Zuko around reminded him of Lu Ten, his son who had died.

"Sorry," I whispered although I'm sure he never heard me before moving on to the next door.

I opened it and saw Zuko. He was sitting at a table, writing something. His back was to me. He didn't notice the door opening.

I cleared my throat.

He looked up.

"This way."

He turned around.

"Katara!"

"Can I talk to you?" I asked. My eyes started to water again and I knew this time they would fall.

"You're talking to me now?" he asked. I was pleased to hear a slight note of relief.

"I need to talk to someone."

Zuko nodded and pulled out a chair for me. I sat down next to him.

"Talk to me," he said.

I took a breath. My lower lip wobbled. And I burst into tears. I threw myself at Zuko and buried my face in his chest. I sobbed and sobbed.

I told him everything. But I was pretty hysterical. I'm sure half of what I was saying made no sense whatsoever. I didn't see his face, but I'm sure Zuko was very awkward. He

patted my back and stroked my hair and kept saying "It's okay, it'll be okay."

I stopped trying to tell him what was going on and just cried.

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When I was finished, he used the heel of his hand to wipe away the tears. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. I wiped my nose which was dribbling in a very embarrassing way.

I sat up.

"That…didn't make any sense, did it?"

He shook his head with a hint of a smile. I started over; minus the tears.

"QuaMae is my brother's finacée. She doesn't know me very well, so I guess I should forgive her, but Sokka? I can't believe him. He's my brother! He should know me better. We'd only been sailing with me onboard for two weeks…"

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By the end, I was crying again. Zuko hugged me. I spent a few moments, just breathing in.

I pulled away from Zuko. I didn't do it on purpose, but our faces were approaching.

I was shaking slightly. Our faces were only a few centineters apart and our noses were almost touching. I licked my lips. Time slowed down. He was getting closer. I was getting closer to me.

It was happening, it wasn't happening. I was a jumble of emotions. We stayed looking at each other's eyes, harldy daring to move, as if it were all a dream.

He did it first. He put his hand behind my head and drew me closer still, then he pressed his lips to mine.

I groaned softly and the kiss deepened. I suddenly came alive again, and I ran my hands down Zuko's back. My hands were wrapped around his waist, right next to his belt.

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When I got back to my room, it was near midnight. Nothing serious had happened, we'd only kissed. I sat down at the table in my room. I opened my clenched hand to reveal a key.

I had stolen it off Zuko's belt.

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I slipped down to the brig. Everyone except QuaMae was asleep. I felt like throwing up because Sokka had fallen asleep with his head in QuaMae's lap.

I tried to close the door quietly, but it made a tiny click which QuaMae heard. She whipped her head around and opened her mouth.

"Please, just let me explain myself!" I whispered quickly to her. I held up the key. "I stole this."

She raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Let me out."

"I'll let you out, but promise me that you won't attack, just talk."

She nodded rather reluctantly and I let her out. We walked a few feet away and whispered.

I told her my story, shortening it a lot.

"…So while I do care a lot for Zuko, Sokka means more to me. He's my family, he's my brother. I love him."

QuaMae nodded. "I know. I know it's not the same kind of love, but I love Sokka too. I'm sorry," she told me. "I was just trying to protect Sokka because I love him. And I jumped to conclusions. About you."

"I'm sorry, too," I told her. "I lied to you about liking Aang. Although, 'Master of All For Elements' does sound pretty good."

"I like Sokka," she said. "He's the master of his boomerang."

I groaned and covered my eyes with my hand.

"You have no idea how wrong that sounded."

She looked confused. "How could that sound—oh! Not _that_ boomerang!"

We looked at each other and burst into silent giggles. We couldn't keep them quiet and we burst into loud laughter.

Which woke everyone else up. Sokka gaped at us. I held up the key.

"I'm here to bust you out."

Wordlessly, I opened the cage and let everyone out, including our men who were taken. We left the brig and snuck back to our ship.

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QuaMae, Aang, and I were the last ones on deck. We started to board when QuaMae gripped Aang's shoulder and mine.

"Stop," she said. "Katara, you owe Aang an explanation."

Aang looked uncomfortable.

"You don't have to, we need to leave!"

"I told you Katara was a spy, and she wasn't. I don't want you to doubt her on this trip. This is my fault, and I can't continue unless I make you trust Katara. It's my karma, after I stole her trust from you."

"I-was-taken-as-a-slave-to-the-Fire-Court-and-he-was-my-'master'-so-we-had-a-friendship-and-he-recognized-me-I-was-never-a-spy-now-let's-go!" I was impatient to leave. I felt pretty horrible, I was still guilty from stealing his key.

Aang and QuaMae climbed into the Water Tribe boats tethered to the side of the warship. I sighed. I was leaving Zuko again. My heart was being torn out of my chest after just having grown back.

I started to dig my hands into my pockets. But my hands swished through empty air. I had left my parka in my room. I turned around and started to run.

"What are you doing!" Sokka hissed at me.

"I left my parka, I'll be right back!"

I sprinted down the halls, crashing into walls at corners I was going so fast. I reached my room and snatched the trecherous parka off the floor.

"The prisoners have escaped!" a guard cried. Doors crashed open as every Firebender ran out in hopes of capturing the Avatar. I started running back to our ships, my breath ragged.

I put on a burst of speed. My chest and sides were torn and rough, My breath ran ragged through me. I ached everywhere. As I ran onto the deck, I heard feet pattering behind me.

It was so dark on deck I couldn't see. I tripped and landed on my back. The silhoette of a man sent a burst of flames at me. It wasn't until the flames were inches away from me that they illuminated the man who sent them at me.

Then it all went black.

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_Epilogue_

Katara was killed. The man who killed Katara…was Zuko.

It was an accident, of course. When he realized what he had done to the girl that he loved, he couldn't live with himself. Literally. He had backed away from Katara's body, horrified. He back up until he bumped into the railing. He had looked over into the black water…and dove in.

The soldiers on the ship were shocked that Zuko had commited suicide. They couldn't believe it. They sent every man in longboats to try to find the banished prince, sure that he was fighting the waves, that he had fallen overboard. But Zuko had given up. He was sinking deep into the sea.

While the guards were occupied, Sokka grabbed Katara's body and took it back to the ship. Everyone on the ships were shocked as well. There was no longer any doubt that Katara was never a spy. Her sacrifice, her life, though unknowlingly and unwillingly given, saved everyone else.

QuaMae felt the most guilty. Since she was the only woman onboard, she was the one who prepared Katara's body for her at sea burial since they were too far away from land to

bury her properly.

She was washing the blood out of the parka when she found the earrings in Katara's pocket.

Katara was buried with her hair in the traditional Water Tribe style, wearing Water Tribe makeup and Water Tribe clothes. The only thing foreign on Katara when her body was slid into the water were the ruby earrings her love had given her so long ago, the love whom she'd betrayed, the love who'd killed her.

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End file.
